Bowl season is upon us! The best three weeks of the year are here! It all starts today with five intriguing match-ups. Here is our breakdown of each and who we would put our money on. 

UTSA +7.5 at New Mexico, in the New Mexico Bowl: Its hard to pick against New Mexico coach Bob Davie’s squad in this one. They can run the football and wear teams out.

UTSA has had a nice season but they will struggle to hold up against the relentless and patient rushing attack of the Lobos. It’s a home game for New Mexico. They are an easy home take in this one at -7.5. 

Houston v. San Diego State +3.5, in the Las Vegas Bowl: The Aztecs can pound the rock with running back Donnel Pumphrey. They are going to have in order to ball control the high flying Cougars offense. 

Quarterback Greg Ward Jr and company can score points in bunches but they can also be wildly inconsistent as well. It is a big reason why the Cougars fell apart after week four. 

I think this will be a competitive game. Don’t sleep on the Aztecs. They are talented and well coached.

Unfortunately for San Diego State, they just don’t have enough firepower to keep up with the Cougs. Take Houston. They’ll win by 7. 

Arkansas State at UCF -5.5, in the Cure Bowl: This could be a shootout. Both offenses can hit big plays and score points in bunches.

Central Florida coach Scott Frost has done a tremendous job of bringing the Golden Knights back to respectability. They’ll be playing what amounts to a home game today and that’s a big advantage during bowl season.

Arkansas State has already won this season. They kept head coach Blake Anderson from going elsewhere. Unfortunately, they won’t win this game. Take the Knights as a “home” favorite. 

Appalachian State v. Toledo +1 in the Camilla Bowl: Both teams enter this game at 9-3 and both teams feature elite running backs. Toledo’s Kareem Hunt is one of the best kept secrets in college football. Hunt can run the ball effectively inside or outside and is the kind of back who gets stronger as the game goes on.

Appalachian State’s Marcus Cox is a similar type of back but he is shifter and more of a big play threat.

The match up to watch in this game will be between Appalachian State’s offense and Toledo’s defense. The Rockets have been solid on defense all season and could give the Mountaineers some problems, especially in long down situations.

Appalachian State won this bowl game last season and I am picking them to win it again this year as a one point dog. 

Southern Miss at Louisiana Lafayette +4.5, in the New Orleans Bowl: We should just call this bowl game the Rajun Cajun Invitational. They play in it every year. 

This will be a spread shootout. Both teams can score and the last team with the ball might just win the game. 

This is a de facto home game for Louisiana-Lafayette. It’s easy to pick Mark Hudspeth’s team because this is their game and the -4.5 is a manageable number. Take em!